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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22667728">Lost and Found</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelkuhling/pseuds/angelkuhling'>angelkuhling</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Overwatch (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Explosions, F/F, Hospitalization, Medical Procedures, Medical Trauma, Military themes, Pharmercy, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Reunion, au where overwatch does not exist, post-breakup reunion</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 16:22:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,391</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22667728</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelkuhling/pseuds/angelkuhling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dr. Angela Ziegler has spent years focusing solely on her work and saving lives. When a familiar face comes to her in the worst way imagined, the level-headed doctor is left battling logic and emotion in a way she never wished to experience.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Fareeha "Pharah" Amari/Angela "Mercy" Ziegler</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>70</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Lost and Found</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a short story that I wrote for my creative writing course last semester that I have edited to contain Pharah and Mercy as opposed to my original characters I submitted it with.  As I was writing it, I noticed how much inspiration I had taken from Pharmercy with the doctorxsoldier trope, so I thought I would edit it and post as a fan fic since I'm rather fond of it and got a very good mark on it. So, Mr. O if you're reading this; yes this short story was basically gay Overwatch fan fiction lmao.</p><p>For now this is just a oneshot, though I have thought about expanding the story in the future. Feedback, comments, and suggestions for future pieces in this universe are very much appreciated and will motivate me to write again for this! </p><p>cross-posted to my tumblr @cheerslovethesnipershere as always :3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Incoming trauma, IED blast with three major casualties; one DOA, two in critical condition.</em>
</p><p>Angela groaned as her pager beeped angrily at her, the words highlighting the screen causing her to shoot up from her bunk.  The on-call room was dark and there were at least two other pagers beeping away, trying to get their owners up to meet the trauma.  The bottom bunk she had been occupying for less than 45 minutes, though not exactly the pinnacle of comfort, was warm and inviting in that moment.  Still, she pushed herself up and made to leave, trying to pull her blonde hair into a haphazard bun as she followed the other doctors out into the hallway.  </p><p>The doctor and nurse in front of Angela were chattering in what she knew was Arabic, though her minimal knowledge in the language rendered eavesdropping nearly impossible.  Angela was from Switzerland originally, so she only spoke German and English, the latter being thanks to school. She had chosen to learn English throughout high school and university, which came in handy since that was the tongue she spoke predominantly here.  She was the head doctor of a Swiss medical aid team, sent to a military base outside of Cairo, Egypt to help their short-staffed trauma centre.  None of her team knew Arabic, save for a few phrases, so they were relying on each other and their English knowledge to get them through the mission. As the head doctor and the most fluent English speaker, Angela was the one who received the most information from the Military doctors.</p><p>“Dr. Ziegler,” an accented voice brought Angela’s attention to the nurses’ station across the trauma bay.  She made her way to the nurse who had said her name, a kind, stout Egyptian woman by the name of Salma.  She had been the friendliest nurse by far and welcomed the Swiss doctors warmly.  Coming to stand by the triage desk, Angela asked the nurse for more information on what had occurred.</p><p>“Our military had sent a team to patrol a territory not far from the base where reports had been made of criminal activity.  I guess they stepped too close to unmapped land, an IED mine went off before anyone could react.  We lost one immediately, the other two are on the bus in critical condition; ETA 10 minutes.”</p><p>Angela nodded along with her words, feeling her stomach sink at the fact that they lost a patient already.  She shook off the thought though, no sense in getting emotional now; she would just need to focus on keeping the remaining two alive.  She had already seen her fair share of explosion aftermath in her two weeks on base already, which was a terrifying wake up call for the woman.  Still, as a doctor she had learned quickly that one must separate feelings from work, otherwise the emotional impact of the job would have put her out of commission years ago.  She kept this in mind as she left the nurses’ station, passing a group of Egyptian staff barking orders in Arabic and making her way to a familiar redheaded woman.</p><p>“Ange!” the younger doctor greeted Angela in German with a sign of relief, “We have no idea where to even start with this.  Do you have any more information on the trauma?”</p><p>Amelia Schmidt, 35-year-old and a cardio surgeon by trade, though here she had switched from daily open heart surgeries to more frequent traumas and millions of sutures.  She had been Angela’s closest friend since they started working at the same hospital almost about eight years prior.  She was certainly a spunky person, always ready to jump into action and meet the problem head on.  Being in Egypt was changing that for Amelia though, she felt very out of her element and was finding herself relying on Angela a lot more than usual.  The language barrier was certainly difficult, not to mention the culture shock, and Amelia finally felt the overwhelming weight of her profession full force.  Still, she never lost her spirit and still kept Angela and the others optimistic, her jovial attitude making nightshifts and long days a bit more bearable.</p><p>“Two casualties incoming, both soldiers.  Landmine went off and they must have got the front of the blast.  Jump in where you can and keep an eye on the younger doctors with us in case translation becomes a problem.  If you need help with Arabic, let Salma know like always.”</p><p>Amelia nodded at her friend’s words, “Okay.”</p><p>Angela didn’t have time to ask her friend how things had been while she had taken a short nap, because the doors to the trauma bay crashed open.  There was a lot of shouting in multiple languages as Dr. Ziegler tried to direct her staff in German while the local doctors did the same in their language.  She ran up to the medic pushing a gurney, asking in her heavily accented English what they were looking at.</p><p>The paramedic looked slightly confused but thankfully answered the blonde woman in English after a moment’s pause, “Private Ahmed Abassi, age 23.  GCS 8, responds to pressure but currently nonverbal and only semi-conscious.  He was thrown by the explosion and has a suspected rib fracture and shoulder dislocation.  Abdomen seems stiff, we assume some internal bleeding but could not get a portable ultrasound in the field.”</p><p>Angela nodded as they wheeled into a trauma room, stopping so she could pull on a pair of gloves.  She worked with the nurses who had come to help, doing a secondary scan of the patient’s body. She identified some shrapnel that caused superficial wounds but her main concern was the distention of his abdomen and the apparent pain response the young soldier had to it.  He was barely conscious but groaned in pain as she palpated the area, apologizing to him gently in Arabic as she continued to check his chest and torso for injuries.  Though her words were jumbled and she stuttered more than she liked, Angela still made sure to speak to her patient calmly through her exam, just in case he was more aware than they thought. She asked a nurse to get the portable ultrasound and x-ray so they could check for internal injuries, which was her greatest concern in that moment. As she was monitoring his vitals and reassessing his condition on the coma scale chart, one of her younger doctors ran into the room.</p><p>“Dr. Ziegler,” the young man asked in a slightly overwhelmed tone, “Dr. Khan is asking for your help in trauma one.”     </p><p>Angela nodded and turned to a nurse she knew spoke English, “I will be back to check on Private Abassi in a bit, please get those blood tests and the type-and-cross orders ASAP.”</p><p>She followed the resident out into the hall and found Dr. Khan standing outside the trauma room in question.  The Egyptian doctor was the head trauma surgeon here and was very no-nonsense.  She was tall and slightly intimidating, years of military training apparent in her posture and demeanour.  Still, she had been friendly and helpful to the visiting doctors, which Angela was thankful for. She didn’t even have a chance to ask what was wrong before the other woman spoke in a terse voice.</p><p>“Female in her early thirties. She is awake and noncompliant. Traumatic trans-radial amputation and other assumed injuries we cannot diagnose due to her adamance to leave.  She needs to be examined and we need to operate but we first need to assess her mental state.”</p><p>Angela was a bit taken aback by the sudden information dump, “And you need me because...?”</p><p>“Your friend said you worked in psychology before switching to surgery, yes?”</p><p>Ah, so she wanted a psych consult.  Angela had done a minor is psychology and worked as a psychiatrist for a couple years before deciding she much rather preferred the surgical side of her profession.  It had been years since she had done a proper psych consult, but her knowledge of the workup and proper patient care had not escaped her.</p><p>“I did. Do you need me to do a workup now? Shouldn’t her physical injuries take priority?”</p><p>Dr. Khan shook her head, “We have reasons to believe this is a Post-Traumatic Stress attack.  She took the biggest force of the explosion; witnesses say she threw herself towards it to protect her younger soldiers. She is a security chief, so we know she has seen a lot of battle already, and was held captive by enemy forces for a fortnight last year.”</p><p>“And unknown people touching her while she is in shock may cause her to become violent or prone to self-injury,” Angela concluded, nodding.  She gestured for the trauma surgeon to take her to see the patient, following behind her into the room.  It had been a while since she had done a proper psych evaluation, but she was hopeful that this would be simple and not include any communication barriers.</p><p>There was a large amount of hospital personnel in the room, surrounding a figure clad in a tattered military uniform.  There was a group of nurses trying to dress the soldier’s arm, which had been amputated, probably by shrapnel, just below the elbow.  That needed to be assessed and closed properly, but surgery was not an option until a proper workup was done.  To do a workup though, they first needed to calm the patient so she would be compliant; which was already proving to be an issue.  The soldier was thrashing in the nurses’ hold, trying to escape their grasp and the IV in her remaining arm. </p><p>Jumping into action, Angela waved away two security personnel who were trying to restraint the soldier’s wrist and ankles, “You are only making this worse by restraining her. Please refrain from touching the patient.”</p><p>Making her way towards the bed, she glanced back at Doctor Khan, “Patient name?”</p><p>She looked down at the patient and didn’t even hear Khan’s response.  It wasn’t necessary; she new exactly who this was.  If her name badge on her uniform, somehow still intact, wasn’t identifiable enough, the eye of Horus tattoo under her right eye gave away her identity. The patient’s terrified dark eyes met hers and Angela knew that there was recognition under the layers of shock and drug-induced haze.</p><p>“F-fareeha?” Angela murmured, shocked, and took a seat in the chair pulled up beside the hospital bed.  She had already tuned out all the background noise of the room, focusing completely on the woman in front of her.  She was trying very hard to separate emotions from the situation, but now that she knew who the patient was it was becoming increasingly difficult.  Still, she had a job to do and that was the priority in this moment.</p><p>Returning her focus to the task at hand, Angela spoke softly to the injured soldier in front of her.  She had obviously recognized the blonde doctor by now and was staring at her in confusion, as if she could not understand why Angela was in front of her.  The way she looked at her was reassuring though, since she seemed responsive despite her injuries and apparent blood loss. Angela took a glance at the monitor for a moment to check her vitals, saw her heart rate and blood pressure were concerningly high, and took a moment to attempt to soothe the patient’s nerves.</p><p>“Fareeha, I need you to stay still, okay?” Angela tried again to reassume her doctor tone as she spoke to the soldier, “You need to let us take care of you. Take a deep breath for me, alright?”</p><p>The Egyptian woman tried to speak but she was having trouble, whether that be due to focusing issues or her pain.  The other hospital staff were speaking loudly and it was clearly distracting the patient.  She was trying to even her breathing like Angela asked, but too deep of an inhale caused her breathing to hitch and her whole body to flinch, which made her assume she had sustained some broken ribs. Fareeha fumbled around on the bed until she caught Angela’s hand with her remaining one, looking up at the doctor with tear-filled eyes.  The blonde didn’t pull her hand away, sensing that she needed comfort in this moment, and just hushed her gently. </p><p>“Focus on me, alright? Can you understand me?” she had been speaking English the whole time, since she knew Fareeha knew it as well.  It was easier than attempting to speak her rusty Arabic, which probably wouldn’t be understandable anyway considering how much her voice wavered.  After a pause, Fareeha nodded shakily, wincing as her body disagreed with the movement.</p><p>“Good, stay still,” Angela was still holding her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, “You’re safe, Fareeha. You had an accident out in the field but we’re going to get you through this.”</p><p>Angela was trying her best to stay calm herself, speaking softly and keeping the patient’s focus on her.  She knew she was letting her emotions get the better of her but she couldn’t help it.  Not when Fareeha had such a tight grip on her hand and her eyes held so many questions and so much pain.  Still, she knew the most important thing was to keep Fareeha distracted so her heart rate stayed down, wanting to avoid any more panic.  She could see the nurses still trying to staunch the flow of blood from Fareeha’s amputation, silently praying that the patient stayed unaware of that aspect of her injury for the time being.</p><p>“M-my… my t-team?” the soldier’s voice was raspy and she spoke through gritted teeth but to Angela it was a relief to hear, “Are… t-they o…okay?”</p><p>That question made Angela hesitate, glancing back anxiously at Dr. Khan. She didn’t know how to respond to that, since she was not aware of how Ahmed’s condition was faring and did not even know the name of the soldier who had been killed by the blast.  Fareeha squeezed her hand, trying to catch her attention again, and Angela sighed.  Of course it was just like Fareeha to only care about her team when faced with life threatening injuries herself, ever the selfless hero she was.</p><p>“Private Abassi is in surgery right now, Chief Amari,” Khan supplied quickly, “Your other members are either back at base or in the waiting room.”</p><p>Angela did not want to lie to Fareeha but knew they could not tell her the truth about the deceased.  It would not be fair to distress her like that, not now, and it would certainly ruin things after they had finally gotten her calm.  The doctor just nodded along with the attending surgeon’s words, making eye contact with Fareeha.</p><p>“Fareeha, you need surgery,” though the extent of her injuries was not yet known, it was obvious she would need to be anesthetized to have her traumatic amputation corrected and cleaned up.  She was unsure if the patient had even registered that she was missing her hand and forearm, most likely due to shock or the concern for her team she seemed to hold over her own health.</p><p>“Surgery?”</p><p>Angela hummed in affirmation, frowning at the way the younger woman sounded so confused, “Can you let the other doctors look you over? I promise you are safe; we just need to make sure you’re not bleeding internally or have any fractures we missed.”</p><p>It took a little more coaxing and Angela promising to stay right beside her before the younger woman agreed.  The Swiss doctor held her hand the whole time, spoke to her gently in English and broken Arabic, hoping to calm her nerves.  The doctor’s shaky attempt at speaking her mother tongue made Fareeha smile despite her pain, a familiar and warm sight that soothed Angela’s own anxieties. When Doctor Khan confirmed that Fareeha had suffered major bruising and a few rib fractures, as well as a concussion, she ordered some scans to make sure there was no bleeding or injury they had missed.</p><p>The other staff members were still bustling around, ordering scans and cleaning up the space.  Angela had stepped away to speak to the attending doctor, explaining how she knew Fareeha and what steps they had to take now.  The soldier in question was slumped back into the uncomfortable neck brace she was stuck in, still trying to crane her neck to see the only familiar face she knew in the room.</p><p>“Angie?”</p><p>The nickname Angela had not been called in years made her jump, sure Amelia called her “Ange” sometimes but that was different. There was a mixture of fondness and fear in Fareeha’s voice as she called out to the blonde doctor, who had been speaking to Khan in a hushed tone across the room.  Turning her attention back to the patient who called for her, Fareeha’s dark eyes searching for reassurance before the unfamiliar nurses wheeled her to the operating theatre.</p><p>Angela walked back to her side, not even thinking as she reached out to brush matted dark hair off Fareeha’s face, “You’ll be alright, Fareehali.”</p><p>The affectionate nickname surprised the younger woman, “W-will you be here… when it’s d-done?”</p><p>Angela nodded, “Of course. I promise.” The fear and uncertainty was clear on her face and it broke Angela’s heart, seeing this strong soldier so scared.  She held onto Fareeha’s hand for a little longer, promising her that the surgery would be over before she knew it and Fareeha was in good hands.</p><p>When she was reassured that there would be a familiar face there when she woke up, the solider let the staff members wheel her down the hallway. Angela was left in the hall by herself, dumbfounded by the situation she had just been thrown into.  She went back to the trauma bay in a daze, worry eating away at her stomach as she slouched heavily against a wall.</p><p>“Ange?” Amelia’s cheerful voice drew her out of her thoughts, “You okay?”</p><p>Angela shrugged, already feeling the dull ache of a migraine throbbing in her skull, “Patient’s gone to surgery.”</p><p>Amelia raised an eyebrow, “You’re not operating? You have privileges here and usually you never pass up the chance to operate.”</p><p>The older woman had taken a seat in a chair, her head falling into her hands as she felt her body weighed down with the emotions she had tried to fight off.  She stayed quiet for a moment as she tried to collect herself, feeling her friend’s concerned stare drilling into her. Angela didn’t raise her head to look at Amelia and her reply was muffled.</p><p>“Can’t operate. Not on her.”</p><p>“Who?”</p><p>Angela sighed, “The security chief with the traumatic amputation.  She’s… uh… she’s my ex-girlfriend.”</p><p>***</p><p>The first thing Fareeha was aware of when she woke up was the scent of disinfectant, which was so strong it felt like a hit to the face.  The second thing she noticed was that her left arm was numb, and a quick glance down explained why.  Her elbow was wrapped in a tight layer of bandages, but the rest of her lower arm was gone, an empty space on the bed where it should be.  She recalled one of the nurses mentioning something about a traumatic amputation, but it had disappeared from her mind in a haze of adrenaline and pain medication.  She was not too sure about much that had happened in the trauma room, to be honest; everything fuzzy with the weight of anesthetic. Now, though, the reality was hitting her; she was missing her left arm and might never fight again.</p><p>She felt a weight on her other arm and turned her head, much too fast which made her wince, and saw a familiar figure beside her.  Angela Ziegler was there in all her glory, slumped over in a visitor’s chair that had been pulled as close to the bed as possible.  She was fast asleep, her hand clutching tightly to Fareeha’s remaining one as if she would disappear if Angela let go.  She was still clad in her beige scrubs, her rumpled white coat having been discarded over the back of the chair, and her hair was a mess, tumbling over her shoulders as if it had fallen from its haphazard knot.  Despite her clear exhaustion and disheveled state, Fareeha would never be over how beautiful the Swiss woman was, and she felt her heart clench painfully as she remembered how bittersweet this reunion was.</p><p>Their breakup was not exactly a bad one; there had not been any ill feelings or fights.  It was mostly a mutual decision out of necessity rather than falling out of love.  Fareeha had been an exchange student in Switzerland back in her second year of University.  She soon met Angela, a quiet and calculated med student well on her way to her degree.  They quickly became friends and improved their English together as a means of communication.  Like so many cliché love stories, their friendship grew closer until it was more than that.  They dated for a while, Fareeha staying in Switzerland longer than her exchange had been for, and they were happy.  Thing were good and Angela even made solid plans to visit her girlfriend the next summer in Egypt when she undoubtably would have to go home.</p><p>When Fareeha went back to Egypt, they made long distance work for a while and it was still okay.  It was when the Egyptian woman told her girlfriend she would be joining the army that Angela knew things wouldn’t work out, not then anyway.  They were too far apart and she needed to focus on her career, Fareeha’s military service would leave her plagued by fear for her partner’s safety and distract her from the hospital.  Fareeha proposed a break, understanding Angela’s point of view but knew the older woman would never stop her from doing what she wanted. Angela had let her go without a fight and they parted ways, though there had been many tears on both sides and a long skype call of apologies and regrets.  </p><p> They had stayed in touch at first, friendly and civil, but soon grew apart.  Mostly due to Fareeha’s training and deployments, which prohibited her from using her phone often.  Eventually their correspondence lulled until it stopped all together.  It had been maybe three years since they last spoke by then and Fareeha was completely overwhelmed by the doctor’s presence.  The fact that she was here though, since she must she have had work to be doing, was reassuring.  It made her feel safe to have Angela here, especially since her mind threatened to swallow her in a whirlwind of memories and trauma.  Though it didn’t stop the panic completely, Angela being there was enough to keep her from falling deep into her head in that moment. </p><p>The effects of the anesthetic were wearing off, though she still felt groggy from the IV of what she assumed was morphine.  She certainly wasn’t complaining about the drugs though, since she knew her pain would have been almost blinding without the steady flow of pain relief into her bloodstream.  Now that her head was clearer, Fareeha tried her hardest to distract herself from the overwhelming numbness she felt on her left side.  She felt as though maybe the fact that she had had a traumatic amputation hadn’t sunk in completely beforehand, but now that the pain was breaking through her hazy mind, she felt the panic over the topic rising. </p><p>Thinking about it only made it worse, Fareeha noted, but she couldn’t stop herself.  Left in the silent and bland hospital room to her own devices, her head was filled with memories from the accident as they all flooded back.  The yell of shock that left her friend Noor as she realized too late that she stepped on an unmarked mine.  The way she had thrown herself to grab her friend but had been too late to stop the damage.  The force of the explosion that sent them all flying backwards.  It all came back in a rush, overwhelming her beyond belief.</p><p>Her head was aching, she had a concussion if she remembered correctly, and she just wanted to go back to sleep.  Sleep would surely bring nightmares now, though, and the solider was not sure how much more panic she could handle at that point. Fareeha tried to focus her mind on Angela instead, observing her sleeping form languidly in an attempt to keep herself calm.  She gave the doctor’s hand a gentle squeeze, more as reassurance for herself than anything, and it caused the other woman to stir.</p><p>“<em>Fareehali</em>?” the nickname was mumbled and tired, followed by a string of words in German that Fareeha was unable to place properly.  It had been too long since she head or spoke in Swiss-German, her third language, and she was too out of it to recognize what the doctor said.  Hearing her voice was reassuring though, even though the sleepily mumbled words pricked at her heart more than she would like to admit; mind flooded with memories of their past.  This time she wasn’t waking up in their shared bed next to the beautiful doctor, who was too tired to speak in anything but her mother tongue but still greeted Fareeha good morning with gentle kisses and a strong hug.  This time she was injured and in the hospital, Angela was her doctor and they had been broken up for over half a decade.  Thing were bittersweet, she sighed to herself, and this was certainly not how she imagined their reunion.   </p><p>“Hi, Angie,” Fareeha replied as the blonde lifted her head, her grip on the other woman’s hand not faltering for a moment.  It took a little while for Angela to wake up properly, her unruly hair sticking to sleep-flushed cheeks as she lifted her free hand to rub at her eye.  After a moment though, she seemed to jump back into doctor mode.</p><p>“How’s your pain?” she questioned, glancing over at the machine beside the bed to check Fareeha’s vital signs.  Fareeha couldn’t help but smile weakly at the focused look on her face, thinking she looked downright adorable when she was fussing over her like this.  Perhaps an inappropriate thought for a soldier being treated for traumatic injuries, Fareeha would just blame her gay brain winning over logic for that though.   </p><p>Fareeha shrugged weakly, “Can’t feel my arm,” she nodded pointedly to the bandaged stump that was propped up on a pillow as if it wasn’t obvious.  She tilted her head back into the pillows and winced a little, “Head hurts.”</p><p>Angela frowned at that, reaching up to absentmindedly smooth her messy dark hair down, “I’m sorry, Fareeha.”</p><p>“Nothing anyone could do.”</p><p>“you… threw yourself in front of the explosion?”</p><p>Fareeha flinched but nodded all the same, “Not my finest idea.  It seemed like the right thing to do though; I had to protect those kids.  Dumbasses, the lot of them, but at the end of the day they’re good soldiers.”</p><p>Angela shook her head, “You could have died, Fareeha.”</p><p>“I could die any day, Angie. That’s how this line of work goes.”</p><p>“But…” Angela’s eyes were full of pain as she stared at her, “I can’t lose you… not again, Fareehali.”</p><p>That confession had Fareeha pausing, taken aback by the statement.  It had been three years since they last spoke, six since they broke up, yet by that admission it sounded like Angela hadn’t let her go completely. Maybe she had not let Angela go either, still, that was a loaded statement and the solider was unsure of how to reply.</p><p>“Angela…” Fareeha spoke gently, though her tone was guarded, “It’s been so long.”</p><p>The blonde scoffed, blue eyes holding a challenging edge to their stare, “And? That doesn’t mean anything… I miss you, Fareeha. When I saw you in the trauma bay earlier, it was like my worst fear being realized before my eyes.  If you had died down there or in surgery, I don’t know if I could have handled it.”</p><p>The Egyptian woman felt her heart sink as tears welled in Angela’s eyes.  She hated seeing her in pain, hated that she couldn’t fix it immediately.  The older woman had always been so strong, so calculated and sure of herself, so to see her now close to tears and almost shaking; it made Fareeha want to cry as well.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Fareeha’s voice was barely above a whisper, “I didn’t want to leave you… I didn’t want to scare you like this.”</p><p>“I know…” Angela mumbled, hiding behind her curtain of blonde hair.  She laughed at her own emotional behaviour and swiped at the tears on her cheeks, “This is so unprofessional of me.”</p><p>“Angie… how long have you been in Egypt?”</p><p>Angela looked at her with a sheepish smile, “Two weeks. We’re here for a couple months, unless something severe happens.”</p><p>Fareeha nodded, “Did you… think about contacting me?”</p><p>“I did, actually,” Angela laughed a little, “I contacted your mother.  I wasn’t sure if you still had the same phone number so I found Ana though the trauma centre’s records, she works here sometimes, yeah?”</p><p>“Not as often as she used to but yeah. I haven’t talked to her in a while to be honest.”</p><p>“Fareeha!” Angela shook her head, “Call your mother for once, dumbass. She misses you.”</p><p>“I know”</p><p>The doctor sighed and observed her for a moment, “I… miss you.”</p><p>“Angie,” Fareeha sighed, watching her with pain in her eyes.</p><p>“I do.”</p><p>“I know” Fareeha said again, “I miss you too.”</p><p>Angela was holding onto her hand again, silent tears streaking down her cheeks.  Fareeha tugged on her hand until she took the hint, slouching down so the soldier could wrap her arm around her.  Angela melted against her strong body, trying to be careful and avoid straining her injuries.  It felt safe like this, something neither woman had felt properly in years; the familiarity and warmth that came with the desperate embrace.  This was the comfort both had missed so dearly, something the doctor had let go of out of fear of the unknown.  Yet here they were six years later, the only reassurance they found from the unknown being in each other’s arms.</p><p>“Promise me,” Angela mumbled into her shoulder, “That you won’t scare me like this again. I can’t lose you, not after all this.”</p><p>“Angela, you couldn’t handle the distance last time…”</p><p>“I don’t care,” the Swiss woman wore her stress and exhaustion on her face as she lifted her head, “I’ll do whatever it takes this time. I’ll stay here if I have to, transfer all my work here. I can’t leave you, Fareeha, certainly not like this.”</p><p>“I-” Fareeha took a shaky breath, “You mean that?”</p><p>“Whatever it takes,” Angela’s tone was serious and firm, a sure nod punctuating her tearful words.  Fareeha knew she wasn’t lying and she knew from experience that Angela never broke her promises.  She also knew that the blonde was the most stubborn, head-strong woman she had the pleasure of meeting.</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>“O-okay?”</p><p>“I promise,” Fareeha concluded as she held tightly onto the woman who had truthfully never stopped being the object of her affection, “I won’t leave you again.”</p><p>That admission made Angela burst into tears again, holding tightly to the younger woman as her whole body shook with a mixture of relief and emotion.  Fareeha just held her as best she could, pressing a cautious kiss to the Swiss woman’s forehead, apologizing so quietly it was almost inaudible.  It was an apology for a lot of things, leaving her; scaring her; not being there to protect and love Angela for all those years.  Angela just scoffed and told her to shut up, returning her affection with a gentle kiss on the lips that held six years of pain, regret, and love.</p><p>Even though the future was terrifying and their reunion was as bittersweet as reunions go, none of that seemed to matter in that moment.  All that mattered was the promise of safety and comfort they had found in each other all those years ago, a promise that felt stronger than any war, IED, or distance that threatened to separate them again.</p>
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